• King Abdullah II met with President Trump, who reiterated his horrific plan of ethnic cleansing to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt.
• Despite Trump’s remarks, Abdullah remained reserved, avoiding direct confrontation, while committing to provide medical treatment for 2,000 Gazan children.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly pressed Abdullah’s government to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza and place them in Jordan. Trump has proposed that the U.S. would “take over” and “own” a depopulated Gaza—a plan globally condemned as ethnic cleansing.
“It’s not a complex thing to do,” Trump reiterated on Tuesday. “With the United States being in control of that piece of land—that fairly large piece of land—you’re going to have stability in the Middle East for the first time.”
Both Jordan and its ally Egypt have rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians into their territories.
The meeting came at a fragile moment, as a recent ceasefire in Gaza teeters on the brink of collapse. Israel has threatened to resume bombing on Saturday if Hamas does not release all captives by the deadline, a stance backed by Trump.
“We’re not going to buy. There’s nothing to buy,” Trump said. “We will have Gaza. No reason to buy. It’s Gaza. It’s a war-torn area.”
Despite Trump’s horrific remarks, King Abdullah avoided overt confrontation, instead hinting at an alternative plan being developed by Egypt.
In the Oval Office, reporters asked Trump about his plan to take control of Gaza and relocate its Palestinian population to neighboring countries without a right of return. Unfazed by the questions, Trump confirmed his intentions, stating that the U.S. would rebuild Gaza while relocating its residents to “parcels of land” in Jordan and Egypt.
“We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it. We’re going to cherish it. We’re going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs will be created for the people of the Middle East,” Trump said, without offering specifics.
He then doubled down on his ultimatum that the ceasefire would end if Hamas failed to release the remaining captives. “They either have them out by Saturday at 12 o’clock or all bets are off,” Trump warned. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed this threat, vowing to resume airstrikes if the deadline is not met.
Interestingly, Trump appeared to soften his stance on withholding U.S. aid from Jordan and Egypt—at least in Abdullah’s presence—regarding their refusal to accept displaced Palestinians.
Ultimately, Abdullah opted to remain reserved in front of the media, and when he did speak, his language was measured and deliberate. When asked whether Jordan would take in Palestinians displaced from Gaza, the Jordanian leader said he would do what was “best” for his country. He vowed to take in 2,000 sick Gazan children for treatment.
In social media posts after the meeting, he said that Jordan was “steadfast” in its “position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank”.
